TagKing County(456)

A planning document outlining the goals and objectives for King County International Airport/Boeing Field’s Vision 2045 plan. The document establishes seven key goals including safety, efficiency, environmental stewardship, fiscal sustainability, land management, communication, and resilience, with detailed considerations for both airport operations and community impacts.

The Tub Lake/Sunset Park site in SeaTac, located one mile north of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, was contaminated by decades of illegal dumping of waste oil and bilge oil from ships between 1941 and 1945, as well as leaking underground storage tanks at a King County road maintenance facility. Environmental sampling conducted in 1990 detected petroleum hydrocarbons, benzene, and other chemicals exceeding cleanup standards in soil, sediment, and water, with contamination estimated to cover 2-3 acres up to 12 feet deep beneath nearby playing fields. The Port of Seattle, which owns the southern wetlands portion of the site including Tub Lake, fenced the area in the 1970s after demolishing residences in the airport's landing pathway, though public access and ongoing contamination remained concerns at the time of the assessment.

This interlocal agreement establishes a cooperative framework between King County, the City of Des Moines, the City of SeaTac, WSDOT, and the Port of Seattle to implement the Des Moines Creek Basin Plan. The parties agreed to jointly fund and manage the preparation of a Final Design Report, Financing Plan, and environmental permits for capital projects addressing stormwater runoff, flooding, fish habitat, and water quality in the Des Moines Creek Basin. WSDOT's participation was motivated in part by the need to reduce the impacts of surface water runoff from State Routes 509 and 99 and Interstate 5 on the surrounding natural resource system.

The Port of Seattle's Equity Index tracks community well-being across King County using four categories: Economy, Livability, Accessibility, and Environment. It draws on data from sources such as the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey, EPA EJ Screen, and local agencies to measure indicators like poverty rate, housing cost burden, transit access, and diesel emissions. The index is designed to assess equity and quality-of-life conditions for residents and communities in the region.

The King Conservation District (KCD) offers a Soil Nutrient Testing Program for landowners in King County, Washington, providing up to five free soil tests per address to help residents manage fertilizer use, protect water quality, and optimize plant growth. Samples are sent to a certified lab to analyze key nutrients, pH, and organic matter, with results typically returned within three weeks. Additional tests beyond the free allotment are available for $30 each.